Share the Vision - Three great organizations!

These three organizations are joined together to ensure the great legacy of Touro Synagogue and its role as an American treasure. This icon of Religious Freedom serves both as home to a vibrant living congregation and as an inspirational and educational national historic site. Become part of the Touro Synagogue family.

The George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom (GWIRF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization devoted to promoting open, respectful discussion about religious liberty and the separation of church and state, and exploring the modern ramifications of these concepts. GWIRF is deeply committed to fostering a dynamic environment for students, teachers, and the general public in which this dialogue can take place. The starting point for all of GWIRF’s programs is President George Washington’s 1790 “Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI,” which recommitted a fledgling nation to the ideals of freedom of conscience.

We are privileged to be the stewards of Touro Synagogue. It is a great honor -- and a great responsibility. The synagogue is a treasure. It is architecturally distinguished and historically significant, but most important of all, after 250 years it continues to be an active house of worship. As a congregation, our first priority is to ensure that the synagogue remains open for services. However, since we are a very small congregation of only 100 families, we very much appreciate donations from our visitors and friends.

Members of the Touro Synagogue Foundation support one of the most well known living symbols of religious freedom and pluralism in the United States today. The oldest standing synagogue in the United States and an 18th century architectural masterpiece, Touro Synagogue has come to symbolize liberty of conscience and freedom of religion in the United States.

The mission of the Touro Synagogue Foundation is clear-cut and simple: preserve and maintain Touro Synagogue and educate the public about its powerful story.